Already serving hard time, Weymouth man faces the fight of his life for the same crime

Friday

Nov 21, 2008 at 12:01 AMNov 21, 2008 at 9:12 PM

A 27-year-old Weymouth man faces a murder trial for the death of Matthew Nagle, who lived for six years after being stabbed at a Fourth of July party in Weymouth. Nicholas Cirignano is already serving nine to 10 years in prison for the attack, and would face a life sentence if convicted on the new charge.

Jack Encarnacao

A stabbing at a Fourth of July celebration in 2001 sentenced Matthew Nagle of Weymouth to spend the rest of his short life in a wheelchair.

Now the young man who put him there faces the prospect of spending the rest of his life in prison.

Nicholas Cirignano, 27, pleaded innocent on Thursday to a murder charge in connection with Nagle’s death.

Nagle survived the stabbing that left him paralyzed from the neck down, but died last year at age 27. His death was blamed on the effects of the stabbing and the case was ruled a homicide.

Cirignano, also from Weymouth, was convicted of attempted murder in the case and has served seven years of a nine- to 10-year sentence.

Now the Norfolk Country District Attorney has charged him with second-degree murder. If convicted, he would receive a mandatory life sentence with possible parole after 15 years.

Nagle was in court in 2005 to see Cirignano convicted. In an emotional statement at sentencing, the one-time Weymouth High School football star told his attacker, “You sentenced me to a life in this chair. I will never forgive you for what you have done to my mother, my brother, my father and my friends.”

Nagle will not be there this time, but the defendant can count on seeing the victim’s parents. Patrick and Ellen Nagle were in Norfolk Superior Court on Thursday and listened somberly to the proceedings.

As Cirignano was escorted in, handcuffed and wearing a white Polo shirt, jeans and sneakers, he waved to family members.

He sat expressionless as his lawyer described his behavior at the state prison in Norfolk since the July 3, 2001, stabbing.

“He has literally been, as they say, the model inmate,” attorney Kevin Reddington said. “He’s a very focused young man. He’s been doing everything possible to improve his situation.”

Prosecutor Robert Nelson reminded the court that Cirignano was on probation for another stabbing when he plunged a knife into Nagle’s neck. He also pointed out that the defendant was armed when he went to the Independence Day gathering at Wessagussett Beach in Weymouth.

“He had a hunting knife that was about a foot long,” Nelson said.

Judge Janet Sanders set bail at $100,000. She called the bail “largely symbolic,” because Cirignano still has prison time left to serve.

Cirignano has been behind bars since the attack on Nagle and will remain there at least until 2010. He could be eligible for release by the time he is brought to trial.

“If this case is still pending at that time, rather than have to deal with bail later on, bail has been set,” said David Traub, spokesman for Norfolk County District Attorney William Keating.

While bail terms were the central point of discussion Thursday, Reddington provided an indication that he will argue that Cirignano acted in self-defense.

“The facts are the facts,” Reddington said. “This is at best a manslaughter.”

Sanders said she thinks the legal issue of whether Cirignano should be tried for murder at all could be decided “pretty quickly.”

Last year, a state appeals court upheld Cirignano’s current sentence after he challenged the adequacy of the evidence and a trial judge’s instructions to the jury as to self-defense and consciousness of guilt.